You Won’t Support Paid Parental Leave? Then We Won’t Give You a Grant.

The Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York has decided that starting this year, we will only accept grant applications from organizations with paid parental leave policies that offer their employees — new mothers and new fathers — at least four weeks of paid leave at full salary.

We are the first foundation in the Jewish and secular communities to establish a criterion of this type. We’re doing it because we believe that to achieve our vision of creating a better world for women and girls in the Jewish community, we need to support and recognize organizations that are providing paid parental leave to their employees.

The grants we give out help fund social change programs that promote economic security, leadership advancement, and health and wellbeing among women and girls in the Jewish community. Since we aim to create social change through a gender lens, we must be part of the solution. The requirement we’re putting in place establishes greater alignment between JWFNY’s values and our work.

For the past five years we have asked our grant applicants to disclose their parental leave policies. The strength of the applicants’ policies played a part in our decision-making, but has not disqualified organizations. Until now.